Painters Worrying About Sales and Critique
Artists are expressing anxieties about the commercial viability of their work, seeking feedback on their pieces, and questioning whether they can make a living through art. This highlights concerns about recognition, marketability, and self-doubt.
SOURCES (60)
“I’m working on this painting and I’d love some honest opinions. The reference photo has a cardinal, but I’m not sure whether adding it will strengthen the painting or distract from the nest and landscape. Which would you choose? 🐦 1. Add the cardinal —…”
“I “freestyled” this painting called “Patience” Inspired by my fiancé who took up golf this year. I found a mixed paste thing in the shop and kinda winged it all but used my fiancés golfing outfits as inspo. What do you think? Edit: Thank you to those who left kind words. It’s my first subreddit that I came across negative comments and accusations of plagiarism (who knew winging it would cause an argument?!) submitted by /u/Unusual_Peach_6373 [link] [comments]”
“My local gallery is doing a 100 paintings for $100 show. I’m not going to strike it rich, but I figured why not? submitted by /u/elevencharles [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys, So I've been doing landscape painting for a while now. And the idea is, I always liked going for something more abstract as I usually find the realistic, detailed ones a little boring and I wanted to put my perspective on the painting. I posted some of these on Instagram before but I never got much of a reaction, which could mean 2 things, my paintings aren't good or maybe my followers don't care. And that's fine, I can only try to get better if that's the case. I wo”
“Wanted to bring a dead tree seemingly back to life with a well placed cloud…if only for a moment. Oil on canvas submitted by /u/SoupMoist1451 [link] [comments]”
“I won with my recent painting of a native American titled "Mens Traditional Dancer" that took 60 hours to paint. I plan on adding touch ups since it was a rush. But I am proud to win three times in a row! submitted by /u/StompingBird [link] [comments]”
“Hi, question for you. I have 2 original paintings that are very similar, part of a series. My first instinct was to put them into one listing and have two variations, as they would have nearly identical descriptions and tags. But they are more pricey originals so it's probably better that they are separated. But will Etsy then think they are duplicates and suppress one of them? What's the best practice here? submitted by /u/Threeeyes_Studio [link] [comments]”
7 x 5 inches submitted by /u/Organic-Store-8333 [link] [comments]
“https://www.reddit.com/r/painting/s/7raKdH5oVJ Has the shadow become too messy? 😬 What is a reasonable selling price?🫢 submitted by /u/dub-ba-duba-duba-dub [link] [comments]”
“Only been dabbling for a few weeks so wanting to know if this is any good & suggestions on what next. It is meant to look like the wall behind before it was painted but with a bit of glam. submitted by /u/ExpensiveNobody9317 [link] [comments]”
“Tried capturing the divine grace of Saraswati Mata on canvas. Photos never fully do justice to the details, but I really hope you guys like how it turned out! Would love to hear your thoughts submitted by /u/Available_Heat9558 [link] [comments]”
“Recent painting and just got accepted into a nearby show :) submitted by /u/Pristine-Doughnut947 [link] [comments]”
“Views of Zion" Original is oil on canvas, 14 x 11in submitted by /u/bhavnamisra [link] [comments]”
“Im just curious on how much you guys would pay for this painting. Thanks! submitted by /u/pepekure [link] [comments]”
“What do you think of my painting? I’ve been trying out water soluble oils. submitted by /u/bostonlab12 [link] [comments]”
“I may have gone a little crazy with the colors on this one.: "Forest Shadows", 20"x 28", oil on canvas, 2026 submitted by /u/myriyevskyy [link] [comments]”
“!not trying to sell here just need help! It’s acrylic on an a3 sized canvas and took me roughly 40-50 hours, never sold a painting before or bought one so idk how to price 🤷♀️ submitted by /u/heizenburgerrz [link] [comments]”
“This is an artistic representation of the planet Venus it looks a bit lighter compared to this photo which is harsh on the colors but everyone I know is telling me to paint and sell the paintings I personally don't think I'm a good enough artist to sell my paintings and will put more artwork below but I wanted opinions since I've had a good bit of people tell me to start making and selling stuff submitted by /u/Inke_exe [link] [comments]”
“I would appreciate any and all feedback. I'll take critiques on my style/technique as well if you'd rather. I'm very excited/nervous. This is the first time I'm putting my art out there. I have a range of sizes, 8x10, 10x10, 9x12, 20x24, and my largest in here is 36x48 submitted by /u/the_warrior_princess [link] [comments]”
“I need honest reviews for this painting. My first painting without a reference, and I'm just not sure about it. I've painted this style before with a similar figure actually but the previous one was commissioned by a reference. I was asked to do the exact same painting but i decided to do my own thing instead. submitted by /u/clueless_as_shit21 [link] [comments]”
“I normally paint solely from my own reference photos, but I wanted to explore an idea of how we all take photos of the same place and post to social media (whether to signal or ability to travel or just because we want to create memories). I sourced images of the Zion Canyon Overlook in Zion National park, using my own photo as the base reference, and collaged them together to create a painting reference. This is a study on paper (9.5"x12"). I would scale this up, but I am curious what”
“2025 Collection 24” x 24” Pour Painting Acrylic on Hardboard Mark David O’Hara submitted by /u/seabrightspinart [link] [comments]”
“I resumed canvas painting after a long time and created this piece- How mucj would you rate it out of 10? And if you were to buy it, how much would you pay for it? I was just wondering how much I can earn through this. submitted by /u/blah5664 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I am donating this painting for an auction at my church. It is an acrylic painting on a gallery wrapped canvas. Can you please give me tips on what area I should work on? All constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks in advance. submitted by /u/Big-Tiny-Art [link] [comments]”
“I recently got back into traditional painting(or it feels recent. Recently sharing anyway) and while the pieces i brought for display were small, they were well received! I was understandably nervous as all could be but I did it! Second round this saturday 🥲 nerves creeping back in. Excited though! Acrylic on canvas. Tiny are all watercolor.(Not pictured im sorry i fumbled there!) submitted by /u/GloomyBugg [link] [comments]”
“My wife did these. The one with the orange sky is not done yet. She has never painted a canvas in her life. submitted by /u/Nearby-Department718 [link] [comments]”
“I photographed these wild horses last year, and finally get to paint this scene. This is from the Onaqui herd in Utah. submitted by /u/DeniseMillerArt [link] [comments]”
“2026 Collection, 24” x 24”, Pour Painting, Acrylic on Hardboard submitted by /u/seabrightspinart [link] [comments]”
“WIP. A bit more work on this snowy landscape this morning. Trying to get that sense of depth and a bit of crunchy texture on the path. 12x16” oil on linen. submitted by /u/FlyingBuilder [link] [comments]”
“It looks kind of special and weird and i dont see a place for it rather anywhere... submitted by /u/Professional-Cup9375 [link] [comments]”
“I haven’t got much traffic and I am wondering if this site is the right site to sell original artwork. submitted by /u/Scunnard1839 [link] [comments]”
“Also, credit to @marynavoroshylo for the original piece which I used as a reference. I'm not very experienced yet, so I thought of trying to use a painting reference first instead of my own composition or a photo. submitted by /u/Mission_Top_8443 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I'm a newbie at painting but someone wanted to commish on my art style. How much would this be if i sell? Got offered for Php500 ($8) for this. submitted by /u/Dollquestions [link] [comments]”
“I learned so much from doing this painting. I kinda want to imitate paintings I love. What is your opinion of this? submitted by /u/geesedreams [link] [comments]”